Hope you all have fun plans set up for Labor Day Weekend! I will be in Hermosa Beach the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of September, and will be in San Francisco the rest of the month. For Hermosa Beach, call Debbie at 310-408-9770 to check availability & schedule an appointment. For San Francisco, call Sharon at 415-400-5447.

This month we discuss the rejuvenation of the midface.

A beautifully contoured convex curve in this area is the hallmark of youth. As the malar fat pads descend with age this area is often left flat or even concave. This can often be addressed with the correct use of fillers.

As the fat pads descend the first area we often show volume loss is under the delicate eye area. This can occur as early as the late twenties. In the later years, the orbital bone begins to resorb, patients are often left with a hollow eye and under eye area, with a prominence of the tear trough deformity. This can easily be addressed with a filler placed on the lower ridge of the orbital bone. Filler should not be placed too superficially in this area or a patient will often be left with a transient puffiness or a tindel (blueing) effect.

Objectives of Cheek Augmentation

Often, one of the first signs of aging in the face is a loss of volume at the front of the cheek. Those “apple” cheeks are the first to go. Depending on genetics, your volume loss can be noticeable in your late 20s or in your late 40s. The effect is to make you look tired and older. Some people may never have a full midface, and may just want to augment this area . Replacing the volume of the cheeks has a“lifting” effect for the face. The goal is to accent the area just lateral to the eye.

Submalar Augmentation

The primary goal of midfacial contouring is to produce a natural appearance of youth and beauty by enhancing or restoring structures, and creating the smooth facial contour that tends to be lost with age. Submalar augmentation may be used to efface deep melolabial folds and provides elegance to the midfacial area. As the malar fat pads descend with age, the convex contour of this area is often lost. If too much of an augmentation in the cheek area is done, and the submalar is not addressed it can leave this area looking too hollow.

BEFORE

AFTER

Preauricular Area Treatment

This area gives away age. Often we loose volume in the lateral aspect of our face. The correct filling technique can not only replace this loss in volume but also add a significant lift to the face as well. It is important in this area to fill without loosing the natural contour.